Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-09-28
HAIL THE VOLUNTEER.
THE FLEET AMERICAN SLO0P WINS A
GLORIOUS VICTORY.
She Shows a Clean Pair Of Heels 70 The BCaSisd
Thistle Conditions Of the Great Race
The SOOtehmsn Surprised at Their
Boats Poor Showing.

New YORK, September 27.-The Scotch
cutter Thistle, and the American sloop
Volunteer, have met in the first 1887 con-
test for the Americas cup, and the Volun-
teer beat the foreigner so bad that the lat
ter's most enthusiastic champions can only
say that something inexplicable is the
matter with the Thistle. 1t was a great
day. The people who went down on the
three hundred steamships, river steam
boats, tugs, steam yachts, sail
ing yachts, and boats improvised
for the occasion, numbered easily 1000
They covered an area of fifty or more acres
on the water and they kept up noise
throughout the race that startled the peo-
pie who came from Europe to see the
event.
From early morning there was no sign
OF breeze, and a dirty haze hung over the
water indicative of a continuous, thick
atmosphere and poor view of the race.
With favorable surroundings the race
would have been started at 1890 o'clock
this morning, but at that hour there was
not cir enough to blow a match out, and
the Judges on Commodore Gerry's Electra
waited to start the races until there should
appear a chance Of getting the boats over
the course within the prescribed seven
hours. That appearance did not come
until noon.
At that time ripple came over the
water from southwark and eastward, and
the signal was given TO clear the
course. The Thistle and Volunteer had
come out from their respective anchorages
The Thistle r0ved about in
4 VERY LIVELY FASHION
in the light air. She appeared TO take
much pleasure in running fast and around
the Volunteer which she did several times
and every time met with loud appreciation
from the admiring spectators, all of whom
seemed confident that she should win the
first race.
At 1920 the Electra fired the prepara-
tory gun, and at 1870 the gun to start.
After the latter, the yachts had five min
utes to cross the line If either had taken
longer than five minutes her iime of
start would have been registered at the ex-
piration of the five minutes The boats
= (,
Volunteer, 12h. "a. 5Ss
The Thistle not only had the nearer
position, when the order TO start was given,
but she also went through the
WATER THE FASTER.
She got over the line one minute and 81
seconds ahead
The eight mile an hour wind, was then
from sOuth-southeast, and the yachts had
to sail close on the wind They went over
to the port tack, and at Ouce the Volun-
teer hegan to overhaul the Thistle
The first tack was in toward Clifton
Staten Island, and on that tack of Is
minutes or less the Volunteer showed a
superiority over the Thistle in weather,
that had been written down as the foreign
ers best, that lett no doubt of the result.
The Volunteer went by the cutter rs
though the latter was anchored and she
stayed in front to the end. 1t was no
longer a race. 1t was procession
The wind varied in the locality
and strength, and sometimes one boat had
it when the other did not, but the average
made Things pretty nearly even. The re-
suit was
MOST DECISIVE VICTORY
for the American sloop, beating, stretch
ing, and running with free sheets, the
Volunteer outsailed the Thistle.
On the run home she lost ground largely
on account Of the way the accompanying
craft blanketed her. The first point buoy
10 was reached on a beat, buoy 81 was
fetched on stretch, as was the Sandy Hook
Lightship. The outer mark from the
Lightship back to buoy 10, was
beam wind, and from the home TO buoy Is
off Fort Wadsworth, il was clean run be-
fore the wind with spankers set. The
total distance was 3S statute miles. Every
where, except on the run with spinnakers,
where the excursion boats did so much to
keep the wind from her, the Volunteer
outsaied her antagonist.